You hear a lot about building green these days but many people still have misconceptions about what it costs to incorporate these techniques into a custom home. The truth is that most green building practices can be factored in at the design stage with little to no extra cost. Dakine Homes believes in building sustainable homes using smart designs and eco-friendly building practices that support environmental preservation – it’s part of our fundamental principles and values.
The first step to conserving energy and saving money is to incorporate energy efficiency into the design of your new home. We can help you incorporate features such as passive solar lot orientation and home design, which includes things like window orientation, roof overhangs and heating systems. Incorporating green design techniques allows you to protect your health, enhance comfort, and save money. The essence of green building starts with the design!
Green building techniques don’t have to be complicated, it can be as simple as a change in materials. For example, when choosing your fixtures, look for WaterSense products such as low flow taps or duel flush toilets. Look for company’s such as Mercier that make their hardwood flooring from rapidly renewable resources, have low VOC’s and are easy to care for negating the need for harsh chemical products while cleaning.
Sometimes, you need to invest a little extra during construction to save a lot down the road. A great example of this would be the use of insulated concrete forms or ICF instead of the standard concrete basement. The use of ICF during concrete construction eliminates wood waste associated with standard concrete fabrication, it is manufactured using 100% recycled materials, and provides up to 70% energy savings with Thermal mass properties of up to R-50. Other benefits include a more sound proof home, an air tight structure that allows for efficiency in heating and cooling, reduced carbon emissions and increased indoor comfort by eliminating air gaps, minimizing the potential for mold growth and draft paths.
Dakine Homes works closely with our energy partners, including FM Residential and Design and Built Green Canada to help you gain the benefits of green building without the added cost. We know that providing our customers with an energy efficient, built green home, it not only saves our natural resources but provides our customers with cost savings down the road.
Building more than just new homes – Dakine builds sustainable communities for future generations!
